Host Laura Reid welcomes Emmy Award-winning television producer turned media and publicity coach Danette Kubanda to the show to talk all about nerves, why people aren’t focused on the thing we think is so wrong with us, and what goes on behind the scenes of TV. Danette has spent over twenty years in the TV business and produced for CNN, The Oprah Winfrey Show, HGTV, and more. She shares horror stories and inspiring anecdotes alike, all while giving Laura a glimpse behind the curtain into how people prepare to interview live.

Danette stresses the power of having a dream and pursuing it because when she was a little TV-obsessed girl, she wanted two things: to work for Oprah and win an Emmy. She’s done both. Her advice is to be fully into whatever your attention is on at the moment. If you’re with your kids, be fully present. If you’re at work, don’t worry about something at home. Be present and be ready is what she tells Laura. She also reveals the answers to these questions: Which celebrity scared her the most? What’s her most recent public speaking horror story (hint: it involves food)? What’s it like to win an Emmy? What are producers looking for in guests? Danette is upbeat, encouraging, and shares insightful advice about the power of dreams and believing in what we have to share with the world.

About Danette Kubanda:

Danette Kubanda is an Emmy award-winning television producer turned media and publicity coach, who helps authors, experts and entrepreneurs share their messages with the masses so they can help the people who need them most.

Her career spans more than twenty years in the TV business, where she produced for CNN, The Oprah Winfrey Show, HGTV, Fine Living Network, CBS and Fox Twentieth Television.

Today, Danette is a publicity consultant and media coach serving programs like the National Publicity Summit, the Maximum Publicity Program, the Super Connector Media Mastermind and others. Her mission is to help experts become the media guests she would have wanted to book on her shows.

__

Contact Danette Kubanda:

• Website: DanetteKubanda.net
• LinkedIn: DanetteKubanda
• Facebook: @DanetteKub
• Instagram: @kubandad

Contact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer:

• Website: TheSpeechSlayer.com
• Facebook: TheSpeechSlayer
• Instagram: @Laura_InWonderland
• Linkedin: Laura Reid
• Book: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid

Host Laura Reid welcomes Interviewer, Communicator, and Journalist Jodie O’Brien to the Horror Show for a conversation on the terrors of public speaking for newscasts and live TV. Jodie has a long career of interviews, news stories, and news anchor broadcasts to draw powerful insights and hilariously awkward blooper stories from. She’s experienced the famous, the infamous, the awkward, and the emotional, so her advice in this episode truly resonates. She tells Laura the one thing she’d share with anyone about to address a public audience.

Jodie and Laura talk about nightmares, guilty pleasure TV, mentorship, and the necessary ability to know when to listen to head over heart when navigating life. The dreams Jodie had as a child helped propel her through struggles in life to attain success. And her sense of humor prompts her to divulge some truly grand bloopers that have happened to her on live TV. But it’s her heartfelt words on why our stories matter and should be heard that make a lasting impact. From horror to healing, there is a nugget of truth and insight in this interview for everyone to take away. Even a story about red lipstick. Journal, be yourself, and listen to Jodie O’Brien tell her story to Laura.

About Jodie O’Brien:

Jodie O’Brien is a dynamic communications leader, empathic interviewer, and intentional listener. With more than 20 years of experience bridging audiences and storytellers across industries—from broadcast journalism to corporate marketing to non-fiction book publishing, she is known for her integrity, relationship-building, and strategic thinking. Jodie brings a unique blend of newsroom urgency and boardroom clarity to every role she undertakes.

As a trusted news anchor, producer, and reporter, Jodie has written and hosted top-rated broadcasts, mentored emerging journalists, and delivered breaking news with accuracy and heart. Her marketing and public relations career has spanned a wide array of industries, leading her to assist in global branding initiatives across five continents.

Jodie has a deep track record of success in stakeholder engagement, public relations, and team development. A skilled communicator, her work has been published across digital platforms and featured in client-facing publications.

She holds degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Religious Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completed coursework in Mass Communications at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Jodie is a Mom of three and lives outside Kansas City, Missouri.

__

Resources discussed in this episode:

• “Who Believed In You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World” by David McCormick and Dina Powell McCormick

__

Contact Jodie O’Brien:

• LinkedIn: Jodie-OBrien
• Email: jlynnobrien@gmail.com

Contact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer:

• Website: TheSpeechSlayer.com
• Facebook: TheSpeechSlayer
• Instagram: @Laura_InWonderland
• Linkedin: Laura Reid
• Book: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid

Host Laura Reid welcomes bestselling author, business consultant, and spiritual practitioner Arliss Dudley-Cash to the show for a deep dive into Arliss’ journey from neuroscience and forensics through a severe chronic illness diagnosis and into spirituality. Arliss shares the horror of having her life drastically altered by her diagnosis and how she released her anger to find a more peaceful way forward. Along the way, she became a powerful public speaker with a host of experiences and advice to offer listeners.

Laura’s Killer 13 questions reveal Arliss’ knowledge about the colors of our brain, how she’d survive on a desert island, and why prayer is more powerful than neuroscience in stressful moments. When Arliss describes her journey through overworking into her devastating chronic illness diagnosis, she demonstrates the honesty, self-acceptance, and hope that define how she moves through the world now. From her horrifying panic attack in the middle of a public speech to her very practical advice for all speakers on how to prepare to face an audience, this interview offers insight, wisdom, and a general sense Arliss’ “badassery”, to quote Laura.

About Arliss Dudley-Cash:

Arliss Dudley-Cash, MA, MBA is a business consultant, best-selling author, and prayer practitioner. A lifelong survivor of chronic illness, Arliss brings a unique resilience and wisdom to everything she does. With a background in neuroscience, operations, and forensic investigation, she combines intellectual rigor with soulful presence. Through her company, Soullutions LLC, she empowers entrepreneurs to build businesses rooted in self-love, authenticity, and joy. Arliss is known for weaving together spiritual insight, emotional intelligence, and savvy strategy—with humor and heart always in the mix. Whether she’s teaching, consulting, or praying, Arliss helps others create lives and businesses that are not only successful, but truly aligned and deeply meaningful.

__

Resources discussed in this episode:

• “Amazing Things” by Michael Gott on YouTube
• Home of the world’s largest crystal: Angelite OM

__

Contact Arliss Dudley-Cash:

• Website: Soullutions.com
• Email: Arliss@soullutions.com

Contact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer:

• Website: TheSpeechSlayer.com
• Facebook: TheSpeechSlayer
• Instagram: @Laura_InWonderland
• Linkedin: Laura Reid
• Book: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid

Host Laura Reid welcomes Leadership Coach, International Speaker, and Author Paul Larsen to the podcast to take listeners behind the curtain of his life and discover the secrets of conquering the fear that comes with being an introvert, and living life to the fullest. Paul has worked with Fortune 500 companies, coached C-Suite leaders, written a book called “Find Your Voice as a Leader”, and spoken on stages worldwide with the ability to bring audiences what they need to hear in the moment. He and Laura have a captivating conversation full of humor and insight.

Paul takes Laura deep into all aspects of his life and career by openly sharing struggles and triumphs encountered throughout his life. He shares secrets he uses to mingle and network as an introvert, and advocates for facing it till you make it, instead of faking the confidence needed. He tells Laura about the Three C’s that guide his daily life and how they pop up in other areas of difficulty to help him through, like during one of his more terrifying speaking mishaps in Mandalay, Myanmar. Tune in to find out Paul’s advice around imposter syndrome, what Intention Island is, why he embraced sobriety, and how every country he visits becomes his favorite.

About Paul Larsen:

A Wharton Business School Executive Coach and international speaker, Paul brings over 30 years of leadership experience with Fortune 500 companies, giving him a unique perspective on the challenges of overcoming Imposter Syndrome in today’s social-media-fueled world.

From flipping hamburgers on Main Street to leading HR for Wall Street, he has personally coached hundreds of successful leaders worldwide to find their unique leadership voice of self-worth and self-reliance so that they live purposeful and inspirational lives.

As someone who channels his imposter feelings into a superpower, Paul now coaches leaders and teams at Google, Electronic Arts, Apple, Walmart, and Microsoft. His former positions include senior-level roles at Charles Schwab, Adobe Systems, JPMorgan, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. As Chief HR Officer for a three-billion-dollar organization, he played a key role in helping team members expand their leadership potential while building an engaging and inclusive organizational culture.

He earned his graduate master’s degree in Organization Development through the University of San Francisco, and he has multiple coaching certifications from recognized organizations, including The Marshall Goldsmith Group and the International Coach Federation. His inspiring and real-world life experiences led him to author the award-winning leadership coaching book “Find Your VOICE as a Leader” (2016, Aviva Publishing, New York, NY).

__

Resources discussed in this episode:

• “How to Love Yourself” by Louise Hay
• Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

__

Contact Paul Larsen:

• Website: PaulNLarsen.com
• Book: “Find Your Voice as a Leader” by Paul N. Larsen
• Instagram: @FindYourVoiceAsALeader
• LinkedIn: PaulNLarsen

Contact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer:

• Website: TheSpeechSlayer.com
• Facebook: TheSpeechSlayer
• Instagram: @Laura_InWonderland
• Linkedin: Laura Reid
• Book: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid

Host Laura Reid welcomes digital strategist and the founder of RBL Media, Pua Pakele, to the podcast. Pua is a rebel with the cause of entrepreneurship, and she leads clients into digital success with online courses and website designs that resonate. Pua is no stranger to speaking mishaps or to the nerves that accompany public speaking of any kind, including podcasts. She shares horror stories, online tips, and heartfelt advice with Laura.

Pua’s Killer 13 questions reveal her basic design necessities and the branding she most admires, as well as the celebrity she’d most like to interview. Laura follows that delightful thought up with exploring Pua’s nightmare public speaking event and the horror of digging a hole with too much talking when floundering. Pua shares the lessons learned from her over-talking experience before explaining what works and doesn’t work on websites, lessons also learned from experience, which she gladly shares with listeners. The inspirational way in which Pua imparts advice, her upbeat assessment of her own speaking nightmare, and the insight she has into staying rebelliously true to oneself in business make this episode unforgettable.

About Pua Pakele:

Pua Pakele is a creative director, digital strategist, and the founder of RBL Media. With over a decade of experience in the industry, she crafts digital experiences for clients, including website design and online courses. Pua believes all entrepreneurs are innately rebellious just by being in this startup space.

__

Resources discussed in this episode:

• E77 “How to increase your organic SEO by 53% with Bernadette Marciniak” - The RBL Media Podcast
• S2 E14 “Turn Your Expertise Into Income: Why Every Business Needs an Online Course” - The RBL Media Podcast
• “Atomic Habits” by James Clear

__

Contact Pua Pakele:

• Website: RBLmedia.co
• Podcast: The RBL Media Podcast
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Contact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer:

• Website: TheSpeechSlayer.com
• Facebook: TheSpeechSlayer
• Instagram: @Laura_InWonderland
• Linkedin: Laura Reid
• Book: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid

Host Laura Reid welcomes the Queen of Online Safety, Jocelyn King, to the show to talk about the terror of cybercrime and how to stay safe against hacks. Jocelyn was a victim of cybercrime herself and now she is named one of the top ten women in cybersecurity and is the Founder and CEO of Smarter Online Safety. Jocelyn shares the real-life horror story of the sanity-destroying cybercrime she was a victim of, how she rallied and became a cyber security expert, the power of neural sculpting, and surviving nightmare speech failures along the way.

What Jocelyn King learned about cybersecurity and what she now shares online was not available when she herself was a victim of cybercrime. As Laura says, Jocelyn needed her present self back then. The scary reality of being hacked and losing not just financial security and online privacy, but home security and physical safety is harrowing. But Jocelyn explains how it drove her to create the resources she needed and didn’t have. Being a podcast host, speaker, and former singer, Jocelyn also has a lot of public speaking experiences to discuss and not all of them went smoothly. Join Laura as she learns how to stay safe online, what neural sculpting is, and why Jocelyn says to smile and breathe when something goes wrong onstage.

About Jocelyn King:

Jocelyn King is the CEO and Founder of Smarter Online Safety, dedicated to empowering and equipping individuals and organizations with the knowledge to protect themselves in today’s evolving AI-driven cybercrime world. A renowned safety expert and educator, she has been recognized as a “Top 10 Woman in Cybersecurity” and is a sought-after keynote speaker and the podcast host of Smarter Online Safety. Her expertise has been featured on Dr. Phil’s prime-time news, morning shows, and international radio and podcasts.

As the creator of the Better Online Safety Simplified (BOSS) System, Jocelyn makes online protection as intuitive and simple as locking your doors and windows. What sets her apart? She isn’t just a cybersecurity expert—she’s a cybercrime survivor. After enduring a long-term, devastating hacker attack, she collaborated with top security professionals to master hacker tactics and protection strategies. Now, she uses her hard-earned expertise to help others stay safer and saner online.

Jocelyn holds a B.S. from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Host Laura Reid welcomes Monique Bradley, keynote speaker and former TV shopping host, to the show to talk about her storied life. From being bullied in childhood through acting, magic, and live TV, Monique has made public speaking her entire life journey. Laura finds out how Monique would sell an item spontaneously, what scares (or more accurately doesn’t scare) her, and why we need to reserve judgement about people when things go awry. Monique shares the highs and lows of a life in public speaking.

Monique Bradley survives Laura Reid’s Killer 13 rapid-fire questions with some impressive spontaneity and revelatory insights. She then shares her life story which is one of discovering herself and her true power of connecting with people through storytelling. At one point in life she says she became a magician “because you’ve got to keep earning money somehow”. Monique pulls speaking inspiration from her combined pakeha and Maori roots, talks about attending theatre school with Jemaine Clement, sings the praises of New Zealand, and divulges a public speaking horror story that ends in an important epiphany.

About Monique Bradley:

Monique spent my life studying and playing with words and stories, exploring their power and potential. Her training as an actor, speaker and singer began at the age of 8. As the youngest of 7 and born into a loud, theatrical, Radio and TV family, it was no surprise that she would end up either in leadership, sales, TV or the creative arts. In fact, she’s worked in all of them.

She has a degree in theatre and film from Victoria University, a certificate in film and TV production from the TV training school previously attached to TVNZ in Wellington, qualifications with Trinity College of London and the NZ Speech Board and is a Board member of the Professional Speakers Association of NZ. Monique is also currently doing a Masters in Creative Practice at Unitec, exploring the impact of speaking and storytelling.

Monique has been in multiple national and international films, TV commercials, MC'd and hosted numerous online and in real life events, worked as a voiceover artist for documentaries, commercials, animated films and games, recorded albums of music, worked as a TV shopping presenter, digital content creator and live streamer, educator, coach and even ran her own performing arts school. She has now clocked up more than 25 years of a creative career and the common thread running through it all is storytelling. Even working in retail and banking (of which she’s also done) was all about storytelling.

__

Contact Monique Bradley:

• Website: MoniqueBradley.tv
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Contact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer:

• Website: TheSpeechSlayer.com
• Facebook: TheSpeechSlayer
• Instagram: @Laura_InWonderland
• Linkedin: Laura Reid
• Book: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid

Host Laura Reid welcomes Army retiree and former Green Beret Pete Tingstrom to the show to talk about his scariest speech moment and current business, Aloha Oahu Weddings. Pete tells Laura about the frequent speeches he gives for military and veteran organizations and how a scary speech moment still caught up with him. He reveals profound thoughts on celebration and care, why he needs that speech outline, and re-thinks that opening hook with Laura.

Pete Tingstrom has a wedding and event business called Aloha Oahu Weddings and it brings him great joy to share the beautiful location with people celebrating all manner of moments. Last October he organized a private cruise for a global gathering of Green Berets so they could all share some special moments together. In a pivotal speech to that gathering, Pete seemed to make eye contact with his wife while thanking someone else for their help. And then forgot to thank his wife. Laura and Pete discuss the horror of that moment, where to put thank yous in a speech to make sure they’re noted, and how to recover from a moment like that.

About Pete Tingstrom:

Pete is a 30-year Army retiree who served in the Infantry, Special Forces (Green Berets) and Aviation branches. Currently he owns a wedding and event venue in Kaneohe on the Island of Oahu with incredible ocean and mountain views. He has recently added a party bus and photo booth options for all events on his lush venue.

Pete spends a lot of time leading and working with many non-profit veteran service benevolent organizations, and a global peace movement called Live and Let Live.

__

Contact Pete Tingstrom:

• Website: AlohaOahuWeddings.com
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Yelp
• Google

Contact Laura Reid | The Speech Slayer:

• Website: TheSpeechSlayer.com
• Facebook: TheSpeechSlayer
• Instagram: @Laura_InWonderland
• Linkedin: Laura Reid
• Book: “The Public Speaking Horror Show: 7 Secrets to Kill It as a Speaker” by Laura Reid